Eating for health is eating enough to support your activity

mamasmaltz3

I started out March 1, 2012. I was 255lbs. I started out eating 1610 cals plus more on the days I exercised. When I lost weight I was prompted to lower my cals. I was down to 1420 cals by May. I had lost over 30lbs and was working out 3-5 days a week. Then my hair started falling out, a LOT. I had blood work done and everything came back normal. My energy was dropping. I wasn't hungry. I thought that I was eating "healthy". But, as I began to research more I found out that a big part of being healthy is eating enough calories to support health. It doesn't really matter how many people who come on here and say that they eat below 1200 calories all the time and they feel great. Science says that is not healthy for your body (or IMO mind). If you eat below your BMR consistently you are robbing your body of nutrients and calories that is required for your body to function. It will catch up to you. You will hurt your health by doing it. That is not an opinion, it is fact.

MoreBean13

Thank you for posting this. I'm sorry you went through this but hopefully you can spare someone else the same fate. :flowerforyou:

vjohn04

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Getting enough calories is extremely important... the vast majority of people need well over 1200 while working towards a weight-loss goal!

Why not eat as many calories as you can while still losing weight?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Thanks for posting. :flowerforyou: I'm very glad you found a calorie level that works for you.

wide2bride

*cheers* I learned this the hard way as well. I screwed up my hormones. Quit getting my menstrual cycle for nearly a year and it took me nearly another year to fix all the damage I had done. I gained a few lbs back in the process, but I am officially healthy despite that and am now doing this the RIGHT way to lose the rest of my lbs

I hope SOMEBODY reads this and listens. It's such a hard thing to grasp if you haven't lived it or if you are having "success" on a VLCD!

PetulantOne

Thank you for sharing your experience :flowerforyou:

Hopefully this post will spare someone else what you had to go through.

mamasmaltz3

Just wanted to add that I upped my cals and my energy came back and my hair stopped falling out. And, as my energy increased my hunger came back. So, I upped my cals again. I've learned to trust my body. I've learned that food is not the enemy, my body is not the enemy. My disordered thinking was the enemy. Misinformation, the media and diet gurus were the enemy. I've learned to stop listening to them. I'm still obese according to the stupid BMI chart, but I don't care what that has to say either. It is a flawed measurement. I can run a mile, hike for hours, complete 30 minutes of HIIT and squat 245lbs. I am in the pursuit of health not a jean size. Giving up crazy thinking, self-hate and punishing myself for eating is a big part of being healthy.

PikaKnight

Agreed! Thanks for posting!!

SoozeE512

*applause!* Thank you for being brave enough to post this! The forums have been kind of depressing lately with all the "success stories" from people who starved themselves for a year. Maybe your post will help some people see reason.

jonnythan

Solid post. It's not any individual food that's "healthy"; it's the overall diet. A diet consisting of nothing but "healthy" foods can be horrifically unhealthy, as you learned.

Thanks for posting.

jofjltncb6

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Getting enough calories is extremely important... the vast majority of people need well over 1200 while working towards a weight-loss goal!

Why not eat as many calories as you can while still losing weight?

Well-said, OP...and ^this. I've long been a proponent of eating as many calories as possible while still making satisfactory progress towards goal. It allows maximum flexibility for the inevitable necessary tweaks.

tageekly

This is an important distinction between eating just to lose weight and eating to be healthier - thank you for posting about it.

It's healthier to lose weight slowly and develop lasting habits and a good relationship with your food, understanding it's fuel and can also be fun! I would rather treat my body well with lots of good food (and some treats!) so it can do amazing things. And, I agree with you, mentally it's much better to have those extra calories and not feel guilty about having cheese on my burger - and it certainly hasn't hurt my progress. :bigsmile:

Fithealthyforlife

Very true. I didn't know about maintenance intake or exercise calories until I joined MFP! I also didn't realize that caloric density matters. That is, just because an apple feels satisfying and is healthy (has a lot of micros) doesn't mean it's giving me enough calories!

jennegan1

Bump so all of the newbies can read and learn you dont need to eat a 1200 deficit a day

broox80

First of all 73 pounds!!!! Wow, great job!!! Growing up the way I did, I was taught that as a woman (short woman I should add) I should only be eating one meal a day as my mom did. It was hard for me to do that hence my unhealthy relationship with food was born. Now at 33, I am learning to eat properly instead of binge restrict repeat as I have always done. I needed to learn not to fear food and move my azzz more. I havent had tremendous success yet but am very hopeful that I will and be able to live this way forever! !!

ideang

Well said op. I agree 100%. I have kept changing my settings to keep my daily calories higher. I am at 1600 NET now (1/2 pound/week) and have never went lower then 1450. The 1450 was hard for me as I had less energy and motivation so I upped it after a couple weeks. I am not tall (5ft 5) and losing weight just fine without under eating.

mamasmaltz3

Thank you for posting this. I'm sorry you went through this but hopefully you can spare someone else the same fate. :flowerforyou:

Thanks for the encouragement to post. You weren't kidding about advertising, lol.

cathryn_robinson

Loved both the post and the reply's to this post. Very positive, brave and informative.


Just wanted to put the other view point up to keep our minds open. If you are small, on a 1200 diet, and feeling energised and happy (probably not doing large amount of exercise) don't now fear that you are under eating. This may be all your body needs.

I eat a 1200 diet … although only when Im not exercising. The moment I start exercising I find my intake jumping up 300- 500 calories

It really is all about listening to your body.


Good luck everyone, I hope you all achieve whatever goals you are striving for!!

Just remember - if your hungry (honestly hungry lol) then eat!

MoreBean13

Thank you for posting this. I'm sorry you went through this but hopefully you can spare someone else the same fate. :flowerforyou:

Thanks for the encouragement to post. You weren't kidding about advertising, lol.

:bigsmile:

_SABOTEUR_

I'm sorry you had to learn this the hard way OP.

I hope that by sharing your experience others don't have to go through the same thing.

kgeyser

Thank you for posting this, and I'm sorry you went through it. There have been many forum posts lately from people trying to determine the bare minimum they need to eat because they are trying to lose weight in a certain timeframe. I hope some of them read this and realize the damage they can do to themselves with that approach.